Women back in Bollywoods scheme of things

BY Subhash K Jha| IN Media Practice | 18/04/2002

Tanuja Chandra, ready with yet another woman-oriented film after "Dushman" and "Sangharsh," said: "As a woman I`m sure of one

Tanuja Chandra, ready with yet another woman-oriented film after "Dushman" and "Sangharsh," said: "As a woman I`m sure of one thing. I`ll make film about women protagonists only. Call it my determination or stubbornness, but that`s it."

Film industry experts, who felt Chandra`s earlier films failed as men played secondary roles, are singing a different tune about "Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar."

This also might be because it stars actress Amisha Patel, cast in this year`s super hit "Gadar - Ek Prem Katha." All three Amisha starrers -- two in Hindi, including last year`s super success "Kaho Naa... Pyar Hai," and "Badri" in Telugu -- have been runaway hits.

Whether Rekha, Madhuri Dixit, Manisha Koirala and Mahima Chowdhary in "Lajja" or Urmila Matondkar in the psycho-thriller "Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya," Bollywood divas are determined to break the song-and-dance mould.

Quite a change from the norm a few years back when Ramesh Sippy wanted to make a Tabu film, but had said: "Please don`t talk about it now because then I`d have problems casting the two male leads."

Today Raveena proudly plays title role in Sangeeth Sivan`s "Sandhya" while producer Jackie Shroff plays a supporting role. She said: "Today I`m playing more central characters than earlier.

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